Wow. Gonna be a lot of pressure and expectations on that new backcourt.

Will be interesting to see how it turns out.

JDMtors

10-28-2012 12:14 AM

I just saw this as well. Wow Rockets are going to be really fun to watch this year. Lin, Harden and Asik.

Its like Rockets planned this all along by drafting Lamb. Would have been better for OKC if Rockets added one more of their young players. Jeremy Lamb has good potential and is on a rookie contract. A ton of raptor fans also wanted this guy this past draft too. Looks Like Ibaka will be getting that extesion

Blaze

10-28-2012 12:14 AM

Fuck this league! Teams like Maimi and LA can buy their superstar teams and teams that make them from the ground up can't even afford to keep them.

Kirby

10-28-2012 12:14 AM

WHAT?

Kirby

10-28-2012 12:16 AM

Lin and Harden. Nice.

jeffb

10-28-2012 12:17 AM

Houston just got better

Toby

10-28-2012 12:18 AM

Thunder need somebody who won't go 1-10 in the Finals.

Dario

10-28-2012 12:26 AM

dang, i wanted houston to run that team with almost all rookies, OKC just got a pay day, for nothing basically, since he didnt want to sign

JDMtors

10-28-2012 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby
(Post 693019)

Thunder need somebody who won't go 1-10 in the Finals.

1st time for a young team to be in the playoffs with minimal experience, nerves were going to get to them eventually. Still a crazy trade but OKC could have gotten a lot more in return than just Martin and Lamb

spuriousjones

10-28-2012 12:30 AM

Thunder trade Harden to Rockets

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Contract extension talk between the Oklahoma City Thunder and reigning KIA Sixth Man of the Year James Harden took a wrong turn somewhere. How else to explain tonight’s shocking news, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports and Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman, that Harden has been traded to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, rookie shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, two first-round Draft picks and a second-round Draft pick?
The Thunder will also send Cole Aldridge, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to the Rockets to complete the deal.
This shakes up not on the Western Conference playoff chase but also the entire landscape of the league, what with the Thunder losing one of the most explosive scorers in the league as he enters the prime of his career. The Los Angeles Lakers remade their roster over the summer, adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to a nucleus of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace. And the Thunder needed to keep the core of a team that had home court in The Finals last season intact if they intended to hold off challenges from the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for the Western Conference crown.
But instead of fortifying their core group, they’ll have to reshape it without Harden, for reasons that Mayberry explains here:
The deal comes on the heels of negligible progress being made on a contract extension for Harden following nearly four months of negotiating. As a result, the Thunder parted ways with the fan favorite after stagnant talks made it clear Harden would be too much of a financial burden to keep.
If no deal was reached on an extension by Wednesday’s midnight Eastern deadline, Harden would have become a restricted free agent next summer. Houston is believed to now be ready to ink Harden to the maximum-allowable contract that Harden has long been believed to covet.
A report by Yahoo! Sports on Saturday said Harden recently turned down a four-year extension worth roughly $52 million. The report also was the latest to say Harden is pushing for a max deal, expected to be roughly $60 million over four years.
But with max contracts extended to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook — as well as more than $52 million invested in Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins over the next three seasons alone — the Thunder faced the possibility of stiff penalties under the new, more punitive collective bargaining agreement.
Making a move this drastic just days before the start of the regular season could cost the Thunder as well, as they’ll have to incorporate Martin and Lamb into their mix basically on the fly.
But Thunder general manager Sam Presti clearly had no intention of playing games with Harden with so much at stake this season for a young Thunder team that prides itself on the collective good outweighing all things.
The Rockets, led by an equally aggressive and fearless general manager in Daryl Morey, are also in the midst of reshaping their roster and can now pair Harden with a rising star of their own in Jeremy Lin in one of the most exciting young backcourt tandems in the league.
Stay tuned to HT and NBA.com for more details …Thunder Trade Harden To Rockets NBA.com | Hang Time Blog

OKC is my second favourite team, but I don't know if this makes them better in the short-term. It may in fact, as Westbrook may respond positively to Harden being gone.

Presti doesn't usually make mistakes, so maybe Martin's outside shooting will work better than Harden's driving. The Thunder also get some young talent coming back and some picks, maybe that will help keep them competitive for a long time.

ClutchCity

10-28-2012 12:50 AM

Wow. Laker championship number 17 on the way.

Don Vito

10-28-2012 12:50 AM

Am I the only one who thinks this trade isn't too bad? Kevin Martin & Lamb are great shooters, which is what they need. I don't think OKC gets worse as long as you still got Durant/Westbrook & consistent shooting from others.

Bill Haverchuck

10-28-2012 12:53 AM

Supposedly the future considerations are 1st round picks from Dallas and Toronto (the pick from the Lowry trade), and a second round pick from the Bobcats.

So....

Lamb and those picks could give OKC some cheap talent to help with balancing the need to have a supporting cast while avoiding paying too much tax (if any at all).

I wonder how long the keep Kevin Martin? I think his deal expires this year. So do they hold onto him for this year's playoff run (as the 6th man) and then let him expire over the summer, or do they try to move him for picks?

spuriousjones

10-28-2012 12:54 AM

ah, this is where that post went — maybe there should be some "moved" signage, but whatever... i think its a good deal for both teams.

houston gets the allstar type they coveted. martin wasn't going to stay. and they have tons of youth already, they can spare lamb and the picks. maybe aldridge can become something...i remember reading the raps were quite high on him at his draft.

okc gets a guy that can really fill up the points in martin. i wouldn't be surprised if they end up re-signing him longterm (and for a lot less than what harden would have cost). i was very interested in lamb at the draft, he has tons of potential and is going into a very good situation. plus they've added our lottery pick and a pick from dallas that may actually turn out to be a good one. worst case for them is they get to bring in probably pretty decent talent on cheap rookie deals.

the thunder now have the two guys i wanted us to get the most in this years draft: lamb and pjiii